Do you believe in fate? For Chris and Gail, it seems like their building journey was meant to be and things fell into place at just the right time. Their blended family of six children had all left the nest and the pair were ready to downsize to a new home that made sense for the next phase of their lives.
Selling their home came with good news and bad news. The good, the house sold in less than a week of being listed. The bad, any home they were interested in was quickly taken off the market. Buying their new home was something Chris and Gail didn’t want to make sacrifices for, so they patiently waited for the dream home to come on the market.
After a bit of time, there still weren’t any homes that were the perfect fit for their next chapter. They both agreed that exploring other avenues may be a good idea. The realtor that had been helping with their house hunt, happened to mention something that helped change their search process Chris remarked. “Our realtor told us about the Community Reinvestment Area (CRA) program that the city of Fremont, OH was offering.”
Hearing about the CRA program intrigued the pair and they started to research what it was and what possible benefits it could provide them. The program encouraged newly built homes within city limits and meant they would not have to pay property taxes for 15 years. Plus, both Gail and Chris worked in Fremont which meant their commute would be drastically reduced.
To make the idea of pursuing building in Fremont even more enticing, the couple had close friends who lived in Fremont, and the best news of all, they had a lot for sale next door to them! “We figured it was a sign that we were meant to build” exclaimed Gail. For them, building meant they would get the home of their dreams with everything they wanted instead of retrofitting a purchased home to feel perfect.
Now that building a home was part of their future, the couple dove headfirst and did plenty of research so they could confidently select a builder. They were drawn to a plan and made changes to create a layout that would be the ideal fit for them. Chris said, “we started with a different builder, but our land engineer mentioned he had just finished building with Schumacher.” After hearing how much he loved his new home (and having friends give a similar review), they both agreed they needed to do their due diligence and give Schumacher a look before moving forward with their build.
It turns out that was just the push they needed because, after their initial Design and Pricing meeting with Schumacher, the couple was sold on switching builders. Both realized that while the other builder’s base model was cheaper, there were so many upgraded features they wanted that drove that price up. In comparison, those features were standard when building with Schumacher.
What were some of the must-have features you wanted in your new home?
“Cathedral ceiling in the great room/kitchen area. Granite countertops in the kitchen. Huge basement! Large walk-in closet. We were able to make all the things a reality!”
Having those features and selections included in the price, gave them so much more flexibility when it came to customizing the Santa Barbara plan to fit their needs. Their biggest, and Gail’s favorite customization, was reducing the size of the Flex Room which subsequently had a waterfall impact on the rest of the plan. Neither had much use for a large home office, so they decided to reduce the size by half. This allowed them to turn the other half into a walk-in pantry and move the laundry room into the space that was designated as the pantry in the original plans. Now that the laundry room space was free, they were able to bump out the Owner’s Retreat walk-in closet which made it nearly double in size!
Despite the downsizing, both Chris and Gail wanted to make sure they still had plenty of space to entertain and be able to accommodate possible overnight guests. “Our parents are getting older, and we know that if there is a need for one or two of them to stay with us,” Gail said, “we have two extra bedrooms and an easy floor plan to navigate.” And there’s no shortage of space, from the pantry to the walk-in closet there’s room for everything to stay organized.
Describe the feeling when you walked into your new home.
“We worked down the road, so we were in the home a few times a day throughout the entire build! But the day we got the phone call that we could close on the home, that is when it got us both. We both cried a bit after we go that call! It was finally a reality!”
Since going forward with building in Fremont, there has been a lasting impact in many facets of their lives. But the greatest impact is getting to see their adult children (and grandchildren) more. Most of their children had also settled in Fremont and now that they are closer, they get to see them much more. “And the grandkids always want to come to stay with Gigi and Grandpa D,” Chris said excitedly
Reflecting on their entire journey, they can’t be more thankful for the initial referral from their land engineer. “We would not doubt that we would choose Schumacher over and over again,” they agreed. Despite the process being stressful at times, they had total faith in their builder and knew they were in great hands. Each employee they worked with in the Bowling Green office treated them like family and made the build process less stressful with their knowledge.
About Schumacher Homes
Schumacher Homes, based in Canton, Ohio, is America’s largest custom homebuilder, with operations in 25 locations in 12 states across the country. The National Housing Quality award winning company has built over 20,000 homes, customized to fit each family’s lifestyle, since its founding by Paul Schumacher in 1992. Schumacher Homes takes each customer’s inspiration and gives it a home. Each Schumacher Homes location includes a one-stop shopping design studio and model homes displaying the latest in architectural and product trends.